Indomitable Valkyrie
by Aquamonkey
Summary: *This is set after the Blight, but there are still patrols on the lookout for any missed Darkspawn. Rated M for language and sexual violence/violence warning. Slight LoghainXOC. One-shot*


Indomitable Valkyrie

Amalie stood on an open battlefield, swarms of Darkspawn littered the ground, their blood staining the earth and it's putrid smell making her and her men nauseous. She rallied the troops and they left for their camp. A sigh of relief left her lips at seeing her brother, Oren, alive. Injured, but alive. She carefully held him, to avoid his wounds, their armor clinking together. Their Father came over, looking a little worse for wear, his long brown beard slightly ruffled, his eyes holding dark grey bags under his eyes. The Talen family was so very tired, and wished for nothing but their beds, but more fighting would need to be done before anyone could lay down their heads in peace.

The Blight was over, but King Alistair ordered patrols to make sure that no Darkspawn remained. But with all of the bodies came looters, pillagers, bandits and worse. Stephen worried for his son and daughter, and for all of their men, he did not wish for any of them to encounter those vicious ruffians, but he knew that they may. He smiled though, his training and guidance, their brains and strength meant they were still alive after many poor souls had perished.

The newest Grey Warden, much to Alistair's despair was Loghain Mac Tir, the ex Teryn of Gwaren. He would be fighting alongside Stephen, his son and daughter. The two had known each other for around twenty years, and despite Loghain's highly questionable choices many months ago, Stephen still respected the man.

Loghain still respected Lord Talen, he was one of the few people who did not question what he had done with Cailan. Oren on the other hand had not quizzed him but he was wary, and he was right to be. Amalie had stayed away from any talk of that. But when she did say something, she shocked him with her intelligence and intellect. He had spoken with her awhile after everyone had gone to bed, and she stayed on watch with him.

"Lady Talen? It has been a long time since I have seen you. I last remember you when you were knee height". He sat away from her, warming his hands by the fire. "Ser Loghain, tis' good to see you again, but I'm afraid I am not much taller than that time". She giggled and stood up, and sure enough, she was tiny, at least a foot smaller than he. She sat back down and polished her blade. She had nicknamed it Siren, it's enchantments meant that when it hit an enemy, it made a pleasant melodic sound. She sighed, sleep wanting to lull her into a false sense of security as she sat with a murderer. "I can take the watch from her, my Lady. I do not wish for you to be tired, and my increased stamina means I will be able to stay up for a good few more hours yet". She smiled but shook her head. "I promised Father I would be tonight's watch, and I will not fail him. And as for your past, let me be clear. Whilst I may not agree with what you did, that does not give me any right to judge you or look upon you with scorn. I do not think of you as an enemy Ser Loghain". That made him smile. She was honest, and did not wish to pry into anything that was not for her to hear in the first place.

He now respected her.

"Call me Loghain". Amalie looked up and nodded. "And please, call me Amalie. Happy name day by the way. It's not much but this is from Father and myself". She stood and gave him a wrapped up long present, and another which was long and rectangular shaped. He knew what they were and almost cracked a toothy grin upon opening both presents. The first was a bow, made from the finest Elven wood. It was strong, yet flexible. It had a glow, a silver and blue sheen, in the moonlight it looked beautiful. The second present was a quiver, with iron tipped arrows. The quiver was blue, to match the bow's glow. "This isn't much? Thank you". Amalie smiled and actually looked him in the eye. Her usual brown eyes gave away their green secret in the firelight and Loghain found himself captivated by them. He hadn't felt that way since Celia. He quickly turned away though. He had known Amalie since she was very young, and to even look at her like that made him feel disgusting. Add to that the fact that she was younger than Anora, and it made him feel ill.

A few hours later, both retired to their tents, Amalie passing out as soon as her head hit her pillow, but Loghain struggled to sleep. Her face kept appearing in front of his eyes, her smile radiant, piercing the surrounding darkness of his nightmare, and piercing his ice cold heart.

The next day came all too soon for the exhausted men. Their weary bodies ached from battle but they must press on, for their had been a report of suspicious activity about a mile north of the camp. Amalie would lead ten men, including Loghain and they would scout out that area.

It turned out to be bandits, led by a huge qunari, his height, bulk and misogynistic tendencies made many flee from his wrath. Amalie would need a plan to take him down, and his four men. They huddled together to listen to her. "Right, we must take down the qunari beast first, that will not be an easy feat, we all know that. We must outrun him. I would like two men at his left and right, and two behind. Not in front, that would be a foolish move. Loghain, I need you to shoot him, anywhere, just to get his attention so the other's can strike and strike true. Is everyone ready?" Everyone nodded and she said a silent prayer.

'Maker, please lend us your infinite strength, just for now. We will use it justly and with respect. Thank you'.

The men moved around to their allocated positions and awaited Amalie's signal. Her hand flew up and Loghain shot the qunari in his shoulder and again in his other shoulder. It flew into a rage and the other man just sat there, eyes wide, faces ashen. Loghain almost swore as the qunari yanked out the arrows, huffed, found Amalie who couldn't run as she was surrounded and picked her up by her neck. Loghain hid behind a tree as anger swept through him.

"And what do we have here? A tiny woman, who clearly thinks more of herself then what she is actually worth. Tell me why I shouldn't carve you open right now, wench". Amalie couldn't breathe, let alone talk. She refused to cry out in pain when he dropped her and grabbed her by her arms. "Ah, so you won't let me hear you scream? No matter, you will be soon, whether you like it or not. Pray to your God, but he shall not save you this day, nor any other day. Your guts shall feed the farmer's pigs when we are done with you". He threw her against a tree and pinned her arms above her. She winced, her arms pale skin turning a bloody red bruise.

"Scream for me. little bitch. No one here cares for you". That was it, Loghain would not listen to any more. His anger erupted and the moment he went to stand and attack, all Amalie's men appeared and would not look at him. His voice, a mere whisper still violated the air with anger. "For Maker's sake men, grow a pair! And do not give me that, she is a woman, why bother saving her, she should be in the kitchen, scrubbing our pots bull either. She is our leader, being tossed around like a doll and you all sit here, shaking and pathetic. If you shall not save her, I will. Now sit down before I behead all of you". The men obliged and put their head in their hands.

The qunari had now ripped off Amalie's armor, leaving her in her underclothes and shivering. She saw her blade, mere inches away, and wanted to pick it up and slash his stomach open, make his guts food for the animals. She decided to stop struggling when she saw Loghain wink at her to get her attention. He then stood up and stabbed the leader, just missing his heart. He growled and turned, bad idea. Never turn your back on an angry woman with a sword. The gang had fled, so Amalie picked up her sword, moved next to the ex Teyrn and slashed the qunari's stomach open, his blood spluttering all over her cream linen clothes. "You disgusting bastard. I hope you rot in the Void. Now die!" She slashed his throat and he slumped down dead.

She picked up her armor, looked to her men, shook her head and walked away, not caring if the gang returned to kill, or worse claim her. "My men, dishonourable bunch! I doubt highly that if you served under my brother or Father, that you would have not attacked. Run away you cowards, I do not ever wish to see your miserable faces ever again". Her men just stood their, clearly ashamed of their lack of action. Loghain ran to walk beside her, not saying anything, just keeping watch.

Upon their return to camp, Stephen saw only her and Loghain, wondering where her men were. They appeared minutes after Amalie had grabbed some soap and thrown herself into the nearby lake to wash herself. She took off her bloody clothes in the water and put them on the bank. She felt vile, her skin crawled and she wanted to vomit. If Loghain had waited any longer, she could have been raped and it terrified her. She scrubbed her body, again and again, seeing dirt that was not there anymore. Loghain sat on the bank, his back to her. "Amalie?". "What? Sorry, I just...it wasn't you who angered me. What is it?" She swam over to him and he passed her a bottle, which she smelled and identified as shampoo, a towel and some clean clothes. "Thank you. Maker, though. I cannot believe that the men just...watched that. Did they even think it was wrong? Or am I just a woman to them? Not a leader in their time of need. Well what about my time of need? Damn it!" She thumped the ground, regretting it immediately. Her left shoulder ached. "Amalie, may I see your arm? I am not saying this to be perverted, I think it may be badly damaged". She huffed and mumbled a yes, so he turned and looked at her shoulder. It was now a nasty shade of purple, and he carefully pressed against it. It wasn't fractured but it would need healing. He nodded and stood up, going her Father's tent.

Amalie washed her hair and felt a little better. She got out of the lake and dried herself off, putting on the clothes and heading back to camp. When she got back, her brother had heard about what had happened and held her, carefully but tightly. He would now go on patrol with her. He would never leave his little sister to face something like that again. Loghain helping her shocked him, but he was glad that she was safe and well, for the most part.

"Lord Talen?" Stephen paced as he was told of what happened and what could have happened. He was glad that Amalie was safe but distraught at the mere thought of her being raped. He realised that he needed to get her away from the battlefield and into the city to be safe. But that would be easier said than done, she had a strong spirit, and would not do as he asked. They never argued, but this may lead into an argument. "Ser, I henceforth swear on my life that I shall protect her. I shall not leave her side, no matter what the odds may be". Stephen decided to put her life in his hands, as he could not always be with his daughter like he wished to be.

Amalie sat by the fire and tried to eat her stew, but her mind burdened her with sick images. She put down her bowl and cried, loudly. Loghain heard her tears but sat away from her, knowing full well that she may never trust a man again. Seeing her cry deeply hurt him, he should have acted sooner, even if it meant that he perished just so she could live her young life. He wanted her to be happy, meet someone genuine and kind, have a family of her own. Yet part of him wanted himself to be that man who she settles with. He was no young man anymore, not a kind man by any stretch of the imagination, he would never be good enough for her.

"Fath...Ahem. Father is right. I do not want to be here anymore. I suppose I will have to deal with being married to some pompous idiot, with no brains of his own, and too much money in his greedy little hands. Oh joy". He laughed a little at the sarcasm in her voice. "You deserve to be happy, not be put in that situation. I am sure your Father will find an honourable suitor for you". Amalie laughed and wiped away her tears. "Honourable? You'd be surprised the men he has found for me in the past. The first was Orlesian, very handsome, charming, eyes that glittered like emeralds. Turned out he did not want to marry me, but my brother. Nothing wrong with that of course. The second man was Ferelden, born and bred, a kind man with a kind heart. Turned out that his previous wife had gone missing and that he had murdered her. So I avoided him, not really wanting to die by the hands of someone who supposedly loves me, you know? My Father means well but I need to look around myself". Loghain had no reply to that. How could Stephen get it so wrong, and twice?

The two sat by the fire and spoke for hours, laughing and smiling. Loghain felt happy that he could make her laugh, she was even more beautiful when she laughed. He hated that she may end up with some young moron who had more money than brain cells. Now he really wished he was younger, when he was kinder and less stubborn. "Thank you, for saving me. You do not know how grateful I am to you for that. I must be getting to bed, as I leaving here early tomorrow morn. Take care and be well my friend". She kissed his cheek and walked to her tent. He caught himself blushing and he then knew he would miss her when she was gone.

The following day, Amalie was gone, and he really did miss her. Almost mourning for her. So when the patrols were ended later that day, he was overjoyed. So he ended up seeing her later that day, when King Alistair called them to a congratulatory party.

Six months later:

Amalie was to be married to a noble called Ser Simon Aqutine, an Orlesian lord's son. She admitted that he was a lovely man and he always praised her, taking on household chores and not making her do it. He didn't shout, pick on her or get on her nerves. His appearance she adored, his short, thick wavy black hair that blew gently in a breeze, his duck egg blue eyes, an stunning blue that she had never seen before, his tall, muscular figure also made her a little giddy with delight. She would have preferred to get to know him for a longer period of time but she did like him. And he hadn't try to get under her skirt, or sleep with her.

He really was her perfect match.

But Oren did some background research on him, sending letters to a friend of Simon's, back and forth to Orlais. It took months, but he got back answers that startled him, and his fear for his sister's safety only grew. He needed to know if the accusations against him were true. He waited until the man was alone before he approached him.

But he never was alone, he always had a beaming Amalie at his side. And Oren was not about to bother the man when he went to his chambers. He heard a noise and brushed it off as an old house creaking, showing it's age. The noise came again, and then a knock on the door. It was Loghain, and although Oren did not like him, he let him in. He wished to see Amalie. The noise made the men's ears perk up, again a dull thud. Amalie came out of her room and turned towards a wall, not looking at either of them. "Sis? What's wrong?" Loghain's concern equaled that of her brother's. "Amalie? You look peaky. Do you feel okay?" She wouldn't speak, choosing to almost run into the kitchen. Instinctively the men followed her and heard a quiet wail. She was hurt, badly, and Oren's suspicions were confirmed.

The last letter he had received told him that Simon had beaten his ex wife, made her miscarry their child, and he almost killed her. And by the Maker, that man would die this day, even if it did put him in jail. Amalie turned and the left side of her face was dark red, a hand-shaped print mark, her arm had knuckles marks, and her lip was bleeding. Oren flew into a rage and Loghain shouted at him. "Not now Oren! I want to beat this man into a pulp too, but not now, Amalie needs you". Simon came down the stairs, and he threw him against the wall. Amalie cried out as her lip hurt. Oren stood up and grabbed Simon's throat, Loghain held a shaking Amalie. "I will make you wish you were in the Void, you disgusting freak". Oren punched Simon and knocked him out. He slumped down onto the floor.

He was later arrested, Oren and Stephen storming off after him and Loghain sat on the floor with a still sobbing Amalie. "I...I don't know what I did wrong". He shook his head. "No, it is he who did wrong. You are perfect". She looked at him. "May I ask you a personal question?" He nodded. "Do you love me?" He nodded but looked guilty. "I do. I have done since that day I met you at the camp. But I am no fool. I know I have no chance with you. So instead, I swore to your Father that I would protect you with my life". She shushed him and hugged him. "I don't love you, but I do care a lot. I'd be lying if I said I didn't. I'm sorry, I never tried to lead you on or anything". Now he shushed her. "Never. I know you didn't lead me on. I fell for you because of your attitude, your mind, your beauty. You didn't make me feel like I was led on". She moved closer and kissed his cheek. "I feel a little shy but can I kiss you?" Loghain raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" He received a quick nod in response. They kissed and and both smiled afterwards.

Later they sat on the roof and watched the sun go down. Even though she didn't love him, he already knew she didn't, so he never kidded himself into believing that she did. She cuddled into his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

To know her, for her to accept him the way he was, he was truly blessed.


End file.
